Gabe Garcia has been named manager of the Bureau of Land Management's Bakersfield Field Office.He has served as the assistant field manager for the Bakersfield Field Office Minerals Division since September 2007.

"Gabe has a proven track record working with diverse interests," said Este Stifel, BLM Central California District manager. "He will be a tremendous asset as we work through the varied issues facing the field office from oil and gas, to recreation, to Conservation Lands."

As manager of the Minerals Division, he had responsibility for the Oil and Gas, Mining, Geology, Hazardous Materials and Geographic Information Systems programs.

The Bakersfield Field Office manages 600,000 acres of public surface in eight counties in Central California (Kern, Kings, Tulare, Fresno, Madera, Ventura, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Barbara) and approximately 47 million acres of subsurface minerals throughout the state.

"In my career with BLM, I've found many aspects of my job gratifying," Garcia said. "The most gratifying has been establishing and maintaining strong partnerships with other agencies, organizations and industry to manage important public land resources and provide excellent service to the public."He holds a bachelor's degree in biology from Chico State University and a master's degree in business administration from National University. He has worked for BLM since 2002, previously working as a biologist, an oil and gas inspector and a surface specialist.